Re: Guaynopa & Guaynopita silver mines

HOLA MY Friend: that was the original Tayopa area, Tayopa #1. It lies some 60 air miles north of the actual Tayopa that all of the treasure stories are associated with. It still has not been knowingly located.

Guaynopa and Gauynopita were never lost, only abandoned because of the trouble in the Sierras due to rev. and the Apaches.

I believe that the area is now being investigated for reopening possibilities.

Re: Guaynopa & Guaynopita silver mines

Greetings my friend Joseph!
Thank you for the reply - no one else seemed to have an answer for a while there! I figured you would be well informed (better than someone in US) of the status of these two silver mines.

Well your info matches pretty close with what I had heard. According to a letter written by a Jesuit missionary (dates to 1760, not long before their expulsion) both Guaynopa and Guaynopita were completely abandoned due to a particularly bad Apache raid on the little village, and said that the "Seri menace" precluded anyone returning. Were they lost? Perhaps not, but it seems that no one knew precisely where they were for about 100 years, or at least no trace is recorded - then they are mentioned by an American explorer (the same who said these two mines are close to Tayopa) and adds that he has visited the ancient Guaynopa but not Guaynopita. By 1901, clearly someone knew where the mines were or at least where Guaynopa was as some 12.5 tons of hand-cobbed ore was shipped to the El Paso smelter and netted over $4000. That is a respectable sum for the early 1900s, heck my grandfather paid less than $700 for a couple hundred acre dairy farm about 1899 and was paying his hired man $20 a month. Anyway, the latest info have is now getting well out of date (1994) - that a father and son team own Guaynopa, (don't know the names) a mining company was interested in the property and that two large gold deposits had been discovered to the NW of the property. As to Guaynopita, pretty much no news whatsoever. Perhaps it was played out? I suppose it must be under denunciation/claim by now, perhaps not anything big happening there but you never know - some of the greatest old mines of the past, not really "lost" but long abandoned, lie out there just waiting for someone to get the working capital and some guts to re-open them. One need only look at Tayopa, which is as we speak in the works of getting started up again (I know you know all this Jose' - just adding it for other readers) or the old "played out" 16 to 1 mine in CA that has on several occasions produced over a million $$$ a day, by modern miners using metal detectors to pinpoint hidden pockets of rich ore.

Silver has been edging its way up tor respectable prices, some of these old silver mines may be worth a second look. As an American I would have difficulty in getting legal title to Guaynopita and would have to have a Mexican citizen as a partner, all of which might as well be pie in the sky for me as I don't have the capital to open such a mine. For that matter I already know where a pair of collapsed tunnels are, (date to the Jesuit period) the same I mentioned before as Mitchell described them - the samples I picked off the dump assayed at 4.5 and 5.2 oz/ton silver so the ore they were keeping (one would think) must have been richer than that, but it would take a lot of capital and equipment to re-open it. So my curiosity keeps driving me to investigate those old mines and old legends, which is I suppose better than my hanging around the local taverns drinking my way to a stupor. (hee hee) I do hope that one day I can come visit you and see the famous Tayopa - it is not every day that a man can see a legend in person! 8)

your friend,
Roy - Oroblanco

SUPPORT THE BEEF INDUSTRY - EAT BEEF
"We must find a way, or we will make one."--Hannibal Barca

Re: Guaynopa & Guaynopita silver mines

HI OrO mi buddy and BETH: There has been a minor movement to there by the bigger mining companies, but because of the roughness of the country, it would take a tremendous mine to warrant the construction of a modern road. Basically it is still served by mule, foot or air traffic.

If several companies, lumber get together, with the State & Federal government's participation, it could be done, sniiif there goes another bit of wild country.

Soon I will be able to go anywhere by a truck, areas that took me weeks by mule before, getting too civilized sniffff. This is one reason that I haven't pushed Tayopa too hard. On one hand I want Gold, on the other I want to preserve that area as unspoiled and wild, .

Re: Guaynopa & Guaynopita silver mines

HOLA Tropical Tramp,there goes another bit of wild country.

Hate to see it happen. As much as we need mining, and I rather detest the making of artificial "wildernesses" (lets pretend those roads don't exist etc) I would hope that we keep enough wild country for "the men who don't fit in" (as Robert Service put it).

It is still possible to find and operate a small scale mine today, there are literally hundreds of them in Alaska and Yukon (don't know in Mexico) so long as the ore is rich enough to pay a fellow working on that small scale. Government and eco-nazis are doing everything they can to try to stop the little one-or-two man operations much the way they have virtually killed off family farming.

Oroblanco

SUPPORT THE BEEF INDUSTRY - EAT BEEF
"We must find a way, or we will make one."--Hannibal Barca

Re: Guaynopa & Guaynopita silver mines

Monring Beth Oro, Small mming still exists here, down to one man operations. As for a foreigner owning properties, it is perfectly legal, providing you form a legal Mexican mining company and agree to abide by the Mexican law with no recourse to your respective country.

Re: Guaynopa & Guaynopita silver mines

Is all of this anywhere near Guanajuato? Dang, I love that town - so much to do - see the Opera House, drive through the sewer, visit a statue of a guy named Pipila! Where on earth else could you possibly do those three things all in the same place? I have a picture of my Tia on the stage of the Opera House doing her best Libertad Lamarque imitaton. What a hoot!

Tourezrick
he of the enormous Spanish vocabulary - Cerveza y Banyo!

Political Correctness - a doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical liberal minority, and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a turd by the clean end."

Re: Guaynopa & Guaynopita silver mines

Re: Guaynopa & Guaynopita silver mines

hi ,i live in mexico ,and know something of the guaynopa mines . they are currently under valid claim(2010). the claimholders are a group of four young prospectors/geologists who live in maders sonora. they are really nice people and have compiled an impressive collection of history about the site. they are currently trying to promote interest /investment, for their project. although they "have something" , in my opinion the remotness of the mine, lack of infrastructure, and the fact there is so much silver here in mexico for the taking ,with equal volumne and values, i doubt if they will ever get it going. the biggest thing in its favor is the "legend that goes with it", if it were mine id try to work it ,on a small scale. but my guess is that youd need half a million dollars to start and explosive permits, its easier to get the half million dollars than for a small miner to get explosive permits right now in mexico. im guessing you'd have to wait two years. the ore looks good, many companies have gone out there to take a look. i have the claim owners phone number and email if youre interested

Re: Guaynopa & Guaynopita silver mines

Hola amigo,
Thank you for the information! I would like to hear more of the history, if you would not mind sharing and have the time to post it, no hurry of course as you said, it is under active claim and I am not a wealthy investor looking to invest so my interest has to remain purely historical/legend. I have read that there are "many lurid stories told" of Guaynopa in particular, yet have never found such stories. Any information would be appreciated, thank you in advance.
Oroblanco

SUPPORT THE BEEF INDUSTRY - EAT BEEF
"We must find a way, or we will make one."--Hannibal Barca

Re: Guaynopa & Guaynopita silver mines

hi oro, i wish i knew more. i do more historical research than anything . i mainly look for mining dumps ,not treasure. do you write in spanish? i have dante esalib the claim owners email. he might be able to fill you in. or if you wanted to visit guaynopa sometime im sure they'd accomodate you , they're good guys.

Re: Guaynopa & Guaynopita silver mines

Hola amigo - and to answer your question, no not really, I tend to get in over my head if I try to write or speak in Espanol. I wish I could at least read it better, as it is quite a struggle when you have to run to the dictionary for every third word.

I had not even considered the idea of a visit some day, though I very much would like to. Our passports expired some time ago so I would have to 'get on the stick' but if it were possible to visit some day in the future I would be delighted. My wife can write <and speak> in Spanish pretty well, do you think it would be inappropriate to send an email "ghost" written? She is very much a treasure hunter and history buff too. I don't wish to impose in any way, and there is no rush at all - as it is my wife and I are planning to spend some time in the southwest this winter and have made a few promises so a visit would have to be only at the owners' convenience.

Wow, do you think they might be willing to sell a small specimen of the actual ore? I would certainly buy one, and suspect that others here would also. Thank you again,
your friend in 'Dakota Territory'
Roy A. Decker ~ Oroblanco

SUPPORT THE BEEF INDUSTRY - EAT BEEF
"We must find a way, or we will make one."--Hannibal Barca

Re: Guaynopa & Guaynopita silver mines

hi oro ,you sound like a really nice person. no, its not a problem to send a ghost letter. my suggestions were not intended to be pushy ,like you were to be an investor or anything of the sort, these guys will take you to the mine just because they're proud of it. it only makes me feel good to be able to offer anything that might enrich anothers life. the idea here is to share information . they sent me pictures to my email back in january. i dont think i erased them ,if not we'll start with that. im not good at all with the computer ,and seldom have access to one ,so be patient ,ill try to get you some photos first.